Playground slide

ABSTRACT

A playground slide that is specially designed to provide superior longitudinal strength for load support and superior transverse strength to avoid warping or distortion during outdoor use. The playground slide is formed from plastic by means of a rotational molding process and includes a longitudinally extending upper sliding surface and a spaced-apart lower surface that in cooperation with the upper sliding surface forms an elongated internal cavity. Additionally, the playground includes a plurality of transversely spaced-apart, longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs formed on the lower surface and also uniquely includes a plurality of transversely extending reinforcing ribs formed on the lower surface and disposed intermediate the longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to children's play structures.More particularly, the invention concerns a novel slide that isspecially designed to provide superior longitudinal strength for loadsupport and transverse strength to avoid warping or distortion duringoutdoor use.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art

Playground slides are in general well known and are found on schoolplaygrounds, in public parks and as a part of various types of backyardplay structures. In the past, most of the playground slides wereconstructed of metal. However, with recent advances in plastic molding,playground slides are now typically fabricated from moldable plastic byvarious types of molding techniques.

A common problem of playground slides that are fabricated from plasticor similar materials is that such material has a tendency to deformunder the stress when exposed to typical playground environments. Thetendency of plastic playground slides to flex and deform is typicallymore pronounced as the size of the slide increases. Similarly, overtime, excessive flexing and deformation of the plastic can undesirablyweaken the slide structure, raise substantial safety concerns anddestroy the appearance and function of the slide.

One prior art approach to overcoming the foregoing drawbacks of plasticslides is to provide the slide with spaced-apart, longitudinallyextending reinforcing ribs. This approach, while mitigating to someextent against longitudinal bending, fails to address the problem ofshrinking and curling of the slide due to heat buildup from exposure todirect sunlight. More particularly, a common drawback of such prior artplayground slides is the tendency of the side walls of the slide totransversely warp and distort when heated. Such transverse distortionweakens the slide and during use tends to undesirably reduce the fullwidth of the slide.

Another drawback of many prior art playground slides resides in theprovision of exposed fasteners that are used to interconnect the slidewith upper and lower supporting structures.

As will be better appreciated from the discussion which follows, theuniquely designed and constructed playground slide of the presentinvention overcomes many of the drawbacks of the prior art playgroundslides and provides both longitudinal strength for load support as wellas novel means for avoiding warping, curling and distortion due to heatbuildup from exposure to the sun.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide novel playgroundslide that is specially designed to provide superior longitudinalstrength for load support and superior transverse strength to avoidwarping or distortion during outdoor use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide of theaforementioned character that is formed from plastic by means of arotational molding process and includes a longitudinally extending uppersliding surface and a spaced-apart lower surface that in cooperationwith the upper sliding surface forms an elongated internal cavity.

Another object the invention is to provide a playground slide asdescribed in the preceding paragraph that includes a plurality oftransversely spaced-apart, longitudinally extending reinforcing ribsformed on the lower surface and also uniquely includes a plurality oftransversely extending reinforcing ribs formed on the lower surface anddisposed intermediate the longitudinally extending reinforcing ribs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide asdescribed in which the transversely extending ribs resist any tendencyof the slide wall to curl when heated and assure retention of the fullwidth of the slide regardless of the ambient temperature.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide of thecharacter described in the preceding paragraphs in which the pattern ofribs is of a unique configuration that assures adequate rigidity evenwhen the slide is used by an adult.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide of thecharacter described in which an integrated fastener is providedinternally of the upper portion of the elongated internal cavity thatcan be used to securely mount the slide onto the play structure. Moreparticularly, the fastener is molded directly into the underside of theslide top mounting area thereby avoiding the presence of any exposedhardware along the upper sliding surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide asdescribed in which the underside portion of the base of the slide is inthe shape of a horizontal cylinder to allow the slide be mounted on playstructures of various heights while maintaining contact with the groundalong a line perpendicular to the direction of the slide. This, novelfeature assures a stable installation that avoids rocking of the slidestructure from side-to-side.

Another object of the invention is to provide a playground slide inwhich the lower portion of the upper surface of the slide is pitchedslightly downwards to avoid collection of water from rain andsprinklers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a generally perspective view of one form of the children'splay slide of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a rear view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a side-elevational view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view thereof.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 1 through 3, oneform of the playground slide of the present invention is thereillustrated. This form of the playground slide comprises an elongatedbody portion 14 that is preferably formed from plastic by means of arotational molding process. As illustrated in FIG. 4, elongated bodyportion 14 has upper end 16 connected to a supporting play structure “S”and a lower ground-engaging end 18 having a uniquely configured,generally convex ground-engaging surface 18 a. More particularly, asindicated in FIGS. 1 and 4, lower ground-engaging end 18 is configuredin the shape of a horizontal cylinder, which uniquely allows the slidebe mounted on play structures “S” of various heights while maintainingcontact with the ground along a line “L” (FIG. 1) that is generallyperpendicular to the direction of the slide “D”. This, in combinationwith the mounting surface “MS” on the structure as indicated in FIG. 4,assures a stable installation that avoids rocking from side to side.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, elongated body portion 14 includesan upper surface 20 and a spaced-apart lower surface 22 that cooperateto define a cavity 24 therebetween. Cavity 24 has an upper portion 24 awithin which the head portions 26 a of a pair of spaced-apart integratedfasteners, or bolts 26 are enclosed (FIG. 4). Bolts 26, which are usedto mount the slide to the play structure “S”, are preferably moldeddirectly into the underside of the upper portion of the slide in amanner such that the threaded shank portions 26 b of the bolts extenddownwardly therefrom (FIG. 1). This construction uniquely avoids thepresence of any exposed hardware along the sliding surface 20.

Turning to FIGS. 3, 5 and 7, it can be seen that the lower surface 22 ofthe elongated body is uniquely provided with a plurality oflongitudinally extending, transversely spaced-apart reinforcing ribs 30and a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart transversely extendingreinforcing ribs 32 that are disposed between the longitudinallyextending reinforcing ribs 30. This novel structure provides superiorlongitudinal strength for load support and means to avoid warping ordistortion due to heat buildup from exposure to the sun. Bendingstresses, which would develop when the slide is in use, are effectivelymitigated by the longitudinal ribs that extend along the length of theslide which function to provide strength and resistance to bending. Thisnovel rib construction assures adequate rigidity even should the slidebe used by an adult.

The inclusion of the transverse ribs 32 between the longitudinal ribs atspaced-apart locations along the length of the slide mitigate againstundesirable shrinking and curling due to heat buildup from exposure todirect sunlight. These ribs also effectively function to resist anytendency of the slide wall to curl when heated and assure retention ofthe full width of the slide regardless of the ambient temperature.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the exit area 39 of the slideis pitched slightly downwards to avoid collection of water from rain andsprinklers by allowing the water to drain off of the slide surface.

Having now described the invention in detail in accordance with therequirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will haveno difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individualparts or their relative assembly in order to meet specific requirementsor conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth inthe following claims.

1. A playground slide having an upper end connected to a supportingstructure and a lower ground-engaging end, said slide including an uppersurface and a lower surface, said lower surface having a plurality oflongitudinally extending, transversely spaced-apart reinforcing ribs anda plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart transversely extendingreinforcing ribs disposed between said longitudinally extendingreinforcing ribs.
 2. The playground slide as defined in claim 1 in whichsaid lower surface is spaced-apart from said upper surface to define acavity therebetween, said cavity having an upper portion and a lowerportion.
 3. The playground slide as defined in claim 2, furtherincluding at least one integrated fastener mounted within said upperportion of said cavity for use in interconnecting the playground slideto said supporting structure.
 4. The playground slide as defined inclaim 2, in which said lower ground-engaging end includes a generallyconvex ground-engaging surface.
 5. The playground slide as defined inclaim 2 in which said upper surface of said slide has an exit area, saidexit area being pitched downwards to avoid collection of water.
 6. Aplayground slide having an elongated body portion having upper endconnected to a supporting structure and a lower ground-engaging end,said elongated body portion including an upper surface and aspaced-apart lower surface, said upper surface and said spaced-apartlower surface defining a cavity therebetween, said lower surface havinga plurality of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced-apartreinforcing ribs and a plurality of longitudinally spaced-aparttransversely extending reinforcing ribs disposed between saidlongitudinally extending reinforcing ribs.
 7. The playground slide asdefined in claim 5 in which said cavity has an upper portion and a lowerportion and in which said playground slide further includes a pair ofspaced-apart integrated fasteners mounted within said upper portion ofsaid cavity for use in interconnecting the playground slide to saidsupporting structure.
 8. The playground slide as defined in claim 5, inwhich said lower ground-engaging end includes a generally convexground-engaging surface.
 9. The playground slide as defined in claim 5,in which said elongated body portion is formed from plastic by means ofa rotational molding process.
 10. A playground slide having an elongatedbody portion having upper end connected to a supporting structure and alower ground-engaging end, said elongated body portion including anupper surface and a spaced-apart lower surface, said upper surface andsaid spaced-apart lower surface defining a cavity therebetween, saidcavity having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portionhaving a pair of spaced-apart integrated fasteners mounted therewithinfor use in interconnecting the playground slide to said supportingstructure, said lower surface of said elongated body having a pluralityof longitudinally extending, transversely spaced-apart reinforcing ribsand a plurality of longitudinally spaced-apart transversely extendingreinforcing ribs disposed between said longitudinally extendingreinforcing ribs.
 11. The playground slide as defined in claim 9 inwhich said lower ground-engaging end of said elongated body portionincludes a generally convex ground-engaging surface.
 12. The playgroundslide as defined in claim 11 in which said upper surface of said slidehas an exit area, said exit area being pitched downwards to avoidcollection of water.
 13. The playground slide as defined in claim 12, inwhich said elongated body portion is formed from plastic by means of arotational molding process.
 14. A playground slide having an elongatedbody portion formed from plastic by means of a rotational moldingprocess, said elongated body portion having upper end connected to asupporting structure and a lower ground-engaging end having a generallyconvex ground-engaging surface, said elongated body portion including anupper surface and a spaced-apart lower surface, said upper surface andsaid spaced-apart lower surface defining a cavity therebetween, saidcavity having an upper portion and a lower portion, said upper portionhaving a pair of spaced-apart connector bolts, each including a headportion mounted therewithin and a threaded shank portion extendingtherefrom for use in interconnecting the playground slide to saidsupporting structure, said lower surface of said elongated body having aplurality of longitudinally extending, transversely spaced-apartreinforcing ribs and a plurality of longitudinally spaced-aparttransversely extending reinforcing ribs disposed between saidlongitudinally extending reinforcing ribs, said upper surface of saidslide having an exit area, said exit area being pitched downwards toavoid collection of water.